No firefighters in Mason County Fire District 12 will be responding to calls until the department obtains insurance.
During a heated meeting last week, some in the audience demanded Fire Commissioners Cinda Compton and Kelli Walsworth step down. Both said they did nothing wrong and were staying put.
The district has been under investgation for years, acording to KOMO.
In 2022, the state auditor shared a fraud report, showing nearly $165,000 dollars’ worth of either misappropriated public funds or unsupported expenses.
The insurance company reportedly has conerns about about the district including the lack of management oversight, the station reported.
Volunteer Firefighter Rodney Kingery said he’s angry about the whole situation.
“I’ll be upfront with you, I want everyone one of them suckers to go to jail," he told a reporter.
He's also worried about the community's safety.
“Oh heck yes! Fire? I’m really concerned. medical? I already know ain’t nobody gonna come and save me! I’m gonna have to go do it myself, or somebody’s going to have to take me to the hospital!”
West Mason Fire Company will cover a portion of the area until there's a resolution, according to Fire Commissioner Chair Trevor Severance.
Mason County’s Fire District 12 can no longer respond to emergencies. The agency which serves communities in and around Matlock has lost its insurance coverage. The announcement of the impending loss of coverage was made in a special community meeting. It’s been a long road for Fire District 12, who have been wading deep through controversies that have led to this point. In the meeting, it was stated the insurance company had many concerns about why they’ve lost faith in the district, including a failure to provide management oversight. For more on the lead story: https://komonews.com/news/local/fire-department-in-mason-county-not-allowed-to-respond-to-calls-after-loss-of-insurance-emergency-agency-community-help-firefighter-commisioner-fraud-report-controversy-district-12-management-oversight-fire-commissioners-cinda-compton-kelli-walsworth#
